phpMyFAQ: Path Traversal in Client::deleteClientFolder enables arbitrary directory deletion by non-super-admin admins

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

6.5 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2026-45008: 0.27% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 18.84 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary Client::deleteClientFolder() in phpmyfaq/src/phpMyFAQ/Instance/Client.php:583 takes a URL from the caller, strips the https:// prefix, and passes the remainder to Filesystem::deleteDirectory() relative to the multisite clientFolder. No path-traversal validation runs. An admin with the INSTANCEDELETE permission (a role short of SUPERADMIN) submits https://../../../<path as the client URL and the server recursively deletes arbitrary directories under the web user's rights. Same pattern and reachability as GHSA-38m8-xrfj-v38x, which the project accepted at High severity three weeks earlier. Details phpmyfaq/src/phpMyFAQ/Instance/Client.php:583-591: strreplace strips the scheme but does nothing about ../ segments. The concatenation $this-clientFolder . $sourcePath directly feeds the filesystem call, which traverses above clientFolder without complaint. Callers feed the URL from the HTTP request body: phpmyfaq/src/phpMyFAQ/Controller/Administration/Api/InstanceController.php:184:…

Published by the source

6 May 2026, 20:47 UTC

Last modified by the source

9 Jun 2026, 00:00 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 14:48 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-gh9p-q46p-57g2

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-45008

Advisory: phpMyFAQ: Path Traversal in Client::deleteClientFolder enables arbitrary directory deletion by non-super-admin admins
IDs: CVE-2026-45008, GHSA-gh9p-q46p-57g2
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-45008 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 14:48 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq 4.1.2; thorsten/phpmyfaq 4.1.2. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Packagist phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq: affected <= 4.1.1; fixed in 4.1.2
- Packagist thorsten/phpmyfaq: affected <= 4.1.1; fixed in 4.1.2

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Packagist phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq: check the installed version with your package manager.
- Packagist thorsten/phpmyfaq: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq, thorsten/phpmyfaq.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-gh9p-q46p-57g2 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-gh9p-q46p-57g2 lists affected ranges: Packagist thorsten/phpmyfaq >=0 =0 <=4.1.1)

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